Venetians face drastically increased bus fares
Dear
Beachhead,
We come to you in a moment
of great urgency, at a time when the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation
Agency (MTA) plans to dramatically increase bus fares, if we do not come
together and stop them. Roger Snoble, the CEO of the MTA, has announced a
proposal for major increases in the price of public transportation in Los
Angeles.
If not reversed, the fare hikes would
increase as follows:
Now July
2007 January 2009
Regular One Way
Pass/Tokens
/Owl
Service $1.25/$1.10/$.75 $1.25
$2.00
All Day
Pass $3 $5 $8
Weekly Bus
Pass $14 $20 $32
Semi-monthly Bus
Pass $27 ELIMINATED
Student Bus Pass
(K-12) $20 $45 $72
Regular Monthly
Bus Pass $52 $75 $120
College Bus
Pass $30 $52 $84
Senior/Disabled
Bus Pass $12 $37.50 $60
We strongly
oppose this fare hike, because we believe that any raises from the already high
$52 monthly pass will be devastating to working families – the strides
that the movement has made towards a “living wage” would in effect
be stripped away by the increased cost of public transportation. Imagine Black,
Latino, API, and white working class bus riders with 3, 4, and 5 family members
using public transportation, paying $375 a month in July and $600 a month by
2009 just for bus service--which by the way MTA is also working to significantly
cut in service hours.
These fare
increases will: destroy the economic viability of low-income Black and Latino
and immigrant families; create significant increase in respiratory disease;
contribute to, rather than reduce, global warming; violate the civil rights of
bus riders; drive as many as 25% to 40% of riders off public
transportation.
We need you to join us
in this fight to stop the Fare Hike. Call Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at 311 and
write him (Mayor@lacity.org) to urge him to withdraw the MTA’s racist fare
hike proposal. Come to the MTA’s fare increase public hearing and the
meeting in which the MTA Board votes to reject or accept the fare
increase.
-Bus Riders Union Planning
Committee
Posted: Tue - May 1, 2007 at 11:21 AM